If you walk into a sporting goods store or the retail area of a fitness club - or peruse the cover of many yoga periodicals - you might get the impression that yoga requires a specific uniform, as well as certain equipment, if one is to practice it successfully.

In the days before yoga’s popularity soared, if you had asked a non-yoga-practicing person what came to mind when thinking about yoga, he or she might have described a candlelit room filled with patchouli incense and low droning chants.

Like any organized physical activity, a comprehensive yoga class follows a certain structure, which allows the class to flow smoothly and logically. In the case of yoga, the class must be balanced and provide a variety of poses in a manner that facilitates harmony in students’ physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

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The world of yoga has exploded since the first edition of Instructing Hatha Yoga was published in 2006. Millions more enthusiasts worldwide are experiencing the physical benefits and mindful awareness of yoga in gyms and spas, the training rooms of professional sport teams, prisons and hospitals, and even classrooms.

With the increasing demand for qualified yoga teachers who can meet the needs of a diverse group of students, this updated edition of Instructing Hatha Yoga could not have come at a better time. Featuring detailed instructions on teaching 68 yoga poses and more than 200 photos showing the postures, the text covers all aspects of safe and confident hatha yoga instruction.

The second edition is enhanced with the following features:

--Updated verbal and visual cues to use in teaching each posture
--Sample children’s and prenatal classes
--75 new video clips that demonstrate yoga poses and modifications and instruct on physically assisting and adjusting students
--New online teacher resource with self-inquiry questionnaire, class evaluation, chapter review questions, and other printable instructional resources

Master teacher and author Diane Ambrosini retains her original emphasis on simple cues for bringing students into proper alignment and deeper mental focus and detailed instructions for making safe and effective hands-on modifications and adjustments of yoga poses. The book highlights issues of importance to even the most experienced instructors, including creating a safe and comfortable learning environment, structuring a class, teaching pranayama (breath work), and handling personal integrity and ethics.

Developed in line with the New Yoga Alliance Standards and the Yoga Teachers’ Registry requirements, Instructing Hatha Yoga is a comprehensive and user-friendly guide to becoming a confident and qualified yoga instructor. Students and teachers not only will learn how to teach yoga poses, but they will also know how to direct students toward deeper self-awareness to positively affect their lives for years to come.

Diane Ambrosini, MA, is a master yoga teacher and movement
science specialist who began a serious study and practice of yoga in
1997. She has participated in numerous yoga teacher training programs
and taught hatha yoga workshops in the United States and Canada. Diane
has also written numerous articles on yoga and fitness-related topics.
She strives to improve the art and science of teaching yoga and help
others enjoy the benefits of yoga as a lifestyle.

Supplementary Instructional Materials

A web resource for teachers and students houses 75 instructional video clips that demonstrate yoga poses and modifications. In addition, the resource provides electronic versions of important documents from the book, including PDFs of all yoga poses, reproducible forms and appendix material, sample classes, and chapter review questions and answers.